Lucia Chapter 66 [part 1]

After they moved from the bathroom to the bedroom, they engaged in wild and messy sex. Lucia was completely worn out. She had washed clean and her body looked fresh but the tingling deep inside her legs did not disappear.

She had entangled with him countless time but his energy and size was still unmanageable. Lucia lay on his body, completely exhausted. Hugo had positioned her on top of him and enjoyed feeling her warmth all over his body.

His hand swept down to her back thigh, touching her plump behind and stroking the slender curve of her waist. It was a soft touch but at the same time, it was persistent. Lucia couldn’t even move her fingers so she just left his fondling alone.

“The coronation day has been chosen. It’s in about a month.” (Hugo)

“That’s…later than I thought. Do coronation usually have to be extended that long after a national funeral?” (Lucia)

Lucia didn’t remember exactly how it went in her dream. While the situation in the capital suddenly changed with the death of the king, the national funeral and the accession of the new king, her detached palace remained quiet, like it was in another world.

“There are some useless customs.” (Hugo)

It was not virtuous for the new king to unhesitatingly ascend to the throne after the passing of the previous king. The nobility had to go through the ceremonial crowning of the king and then formally request for the new king to ascend the throne.

The new king would courteously refuse three times and then accept the fourth time, showing his acceptance of their sincere intentions. After the announcement of the rather obvious statement, the coronation ceremony was held. To Hugo, it was all very useless.

“If it’s in a month, then summer will be almost over. Then, the dress I bought…”

“There will be many occasions to wear it to. The fact that you are in the capital has already begun to spread. Invitations will start coming in soon.”

As his hand gently caressed her back, her eyelids began to grow heavy. She enjoyed listening to his deep reverberating voice.

Lucia blinked her eyes to chase away the sleep.

“What invitation? Aren’t parties not allowed?” (Lucia)

After the king’s death, it was forbidden to hold a party until the new king was crowned.

“Officially, yes, but in the first place, parties are more informal. Even now, parties are held here and there, every day. The tea party ones are almost unrestricted.” (Hugo)

“Tea party…” (Lucia)

“If you don’t want to do external activities until the coronation, you do not have to.”

“…Is that okay?”

“If you are not willing, yes.”

“If I stay at home for an entire month, don’t you think there will be rumors that I caught a deadly disease?” (Lucia)

Hugo gave a low laugh.

“It’ll give you trouble.” (Lucia)

“There is nothing in the world that can trouble me.”

Except you. Hugo added inwardly.

Lucia pondered it over in her mind. In any case, she couldn’t live hiding herself away. Even though being exposed to people’s gazes and attention was burdensome, she wasn’t afraid of it.

With her north experience added onto her dream experience, she wasn’t a young lady that would tremble helplessly about what to do in her first social debut.

“For the first gathering, it is better to go to a tea party and get a feel for the atmosphere, rather than on a big stage like the coronation.” (Lucia)

Lucia wondered how different the atmosphere of a tea party in the capital would be from that of the north. In the dream, her main stage was at the ballroom. Because Count Matin had urged her to attend balls, it was difficult for her to attend a tea party in the day and a ball in the night, therefore, the two schedules could not be assimilated.

A tea party, especially a small tea party with about 10 or so attendees, expected regular attendance if you attended once. If Lucia got an invitation and didn’t attend a few times, she did not receive another invitation.

So from time to time she would go to event-like tea parties (like Lucia’s garden party) that were thrown occasionally, and a lot of people were invited to those. And it was at these occasional tea parties that she was able to witness a party break.

And thanks to that, Lucia was able to address the party break in the north without panicking.

“But still, the dress…” (Lucia)

“No more about that topic. Just as you say, rumors will spread everywhere if it is refunded. Something like the Duke of Taran will soon go bankrupt.”

Pfft. Lucia burst into laughter.

“I heard from the designer that you went all the way to the boutique?”

That was Lucia’s biggest reason for giving in to Antoine. Hearing that he had gone to a place like the boutique that didn’t suit him at all, only to request for a dress for her, made her feel touched.

She was swayed by Antoine continuous remarks that she was envious of the Duchess who would grow old with an affectionate husband.

“Why did you do that?” (Lucia)

“Do I need a reason for what I do?” (Hugo)

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll think whatever I like.”

“…Which is?”

“That you did it because you were worried I would disgrace the ducal name with my shabby appearance.”

“No. I don’t care about that sort of thing.”

Hugo realized that her idea of ‘whatever I like’ was definitely not advantageous to him.

“Then what?”

“Does there have to be a reason? I wanted to buy it for you. Can’t that be it?”

Lucia smilingly replied with, ‘It can.’ After a moment, Hugo gave a sigh.

“Sometimes when I talk to you, I feel like I need an interpreter in the middle. What could be the problem?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t feel that way but what could be the problem?”

“…”

He went silent, making a sour face and Lucia giggled.

“Don’t do it too much.” (Lucia)

“What?”

‘Because…I could misunderstand and think that you might like me more than I thought…’

Lucia didn’t reply so maybe he thought that she had fallen asleep because he didn’t say another word. And after a while, Lucia really fell asleep.

* * *

Just as Hugo said, invitations began to come Lucia’s way and after a few days, enough invitations to fill a sack had poured in.

Lucia had not yet made her official debut in the capital’s high society. And since an official party could not be held until after the coronation, no matter which party she attended, it was not an official debut.

Her debut would be at the coronation celebration. But this would be the first place to start off her activities in the social circle. Lucia carefully looked through the invitations to choose a place. She excluded locations with a lot of people and mainly looked through small tea parties.

She scoured through her memories from the dream, selecting places hosted by people whose name she had heard before. Even then, she was still left with dozens to filter through. Finally, she was helped by Jerome.

The tea party hosted by Countess Jordan was chosen. The Countess was a famous figure in the capital that liked small scale intimate activities. So, Lucia had never been to the Countess’ tea party in her dream.

“Countess Jordan often arranges small scale activities because she prefers having conversation with people she is close to. The noblewomen around her also prefer quieter activities.”

Jerome simply conveyed the information about the Countess. To put it bluntly, he was saying that it was not a place where so-called, ‘wild women’ gathered.

“I believe there is no risk for Milady’s first gathering to be one for getting acquainted with the noblewomen of the capital.”

The date of the party was in a week. Lucia sent a letter to the Countess, indicating her acceptance of the invitation.

All the shit that goes on in this coronation makes no sense and is stupid.
What if the nobility didn’t approve the crown prince as king an squat if they stopped asking him to b eking before as long the fourth time.
This culture is wack

All the shit that goes on in this coronation makes no sense and is stupid.
What if the nobility didn’t approve the crown prince as king? What if they stopped asking him to b eking before as long the fourth time?
These rules are wack

This part is a little confusing:
“Don’t do it too much.” (Lucia)
“What?”
‘Because…I could misunderstand and think that you might like me more than I thought…’
Lucia didn’t reply so maybe he thought that she had fallen asleep because he didn’t say another word. And after a while, Lucia really fell asleep.
It should be Lucía who said the last line, so why does it say that Lucía didn’t reply?